US20200004196A1 - Imaging apparatus - Google Patents
Imaging apparatus Download PDFInfo
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- US20200004196A1 US20200004196A1 US16/396,532 US201916396532A US2020004196A1 US 20200004196 A1 US20200004196 A1 US 20200004196A1 US 201916396532 A US201916396532 A US 201916396532A US 2020004196 A1 US2020004196 A1 US 2020004196A1
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- United States
- Prior art keywords
- guide groove
- cover plate
- fixing mechanism
- trigger
- imaging apparatus
- Prior art date
- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
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- 238000003384 imaging method Methods 0.000 title claims abstract description 43
- 230000007246 mechanism Effects 0.000 claims abstract description 39
- 230000000903 blocking effect Effects 0.000 claims abstract description 10
- 230000000712 assembly Effects 0.000 description 15
- 238000000429 assembly Methods 0.000 description 15
- 239000002245 particle Substances 0.000 description 2
- 238000010438 heat treatment Methods 0.000 description 1
- 238000009434 installation Methods 0.000 description 1
- 238000011900 installation process Methods 0.000 description 1
- 238000004519 manufacturing process Methods 0.000 description 1
- 238000012986 modification Methods 0.000 description 1
- 230000004048 modification Effects 0.000 description 1
Images
Classifications
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B41—PRINTING; LINING MACHINES; TYPEWRITERS; STAMPS
- B41J—TYPEWRITERS; SELECTIVE PRINTING MECHANISMS, i.e. MECHANISMS PRINTING OTHERWISE THAN FROM A FORME; CORRECTION OF TYPOGRAPHICAL ERRORS
- B41J29/00—Details of, or accessories for, typewriters or selective printing mechanisms not otherwise provided for
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- G—PHYSICS
- G03—PHOTOGRAPHY; CINEMATOGRAPHY; ANALOGOUS TECHNIQUES USING WAVES OTHER THAN OPTICAL WAVES; ELECTROGRAPHY; HOLOGRAPHY
- G03G—ELECTROGRAPHY; ELECTROPHOTOGRAPHY; MAGNETOGRAPHY
- G03G21/00—Arrangements not provided for by groups G03G13/00 - G03G19/00, e.g. cleaning, elimination of residual charge
- G03G21/16—Mechanical means for facilitating the maintenance of the apparatus, e.g. modular arrangements
- G03G21/1604—Arrangement or disposition of the entire apparatus
- G03G21/1623—Means to access the interior of the apparatus
- G03G21/1628—Clamshell type
-
- G—PHYSICS
- G03—PHOTOGRAPHY; CINEMATOGRAPHY; ANALOGOUS TECHNIQUES USING WAVES OTHER THAN OPTICAL WAVES; ELECTROGRAPHY; HOLOGRAPHY
- G03G—ELECTROGRAPHY; ELECTROPHOTOGRAPHY; MAGNETOGRAPHY
- G03G21/00—Arrangements not provided for by groups G03G13/00 - G03G19/00, e.g. cleaning, elimination of residual charge
- G03G21/16—Mechanical means for facilitating the maintenance of the apparatus, e.g. modular arrangements
- G03G21/1604—Arrangement or disposition of the entire apparatus
- G03G21/1623—Means to access the interior of the apparatus
- G03G21/1633—Means to access the interior of the apparatus using doors or covers
-
- G—PHYSICS
- G03—PHOTOGRAPHY; CINEMATOGRAPHY; ANALOGOUS TECHNIQUES USING WAVES OTHER THAN OPTICAL WAVES; ELECTROGRAPHY; HOLOGRAPHY
- G03G—ELECTROGRAPHY; ELECTROPHOTOGRAPHY; MAGNETOGRAPHY
- G03G21/00—Arrangements not provided for by groups G03G13/00 - G03G19/00, e.g. cleaning, elimination of residual charge
- G03G21/16—Mechanical means for facilitating the maintenance of the apparatus, e.g. modular arrangements
- G03G21/1661—Mechanical means for facilitating the maintenance of the apparatus, e.g. modular arrangements means for handling parts of the apparatus in the apparatus
- G03G21/1685—Mechanical means for facilitating the maintenance of the apparatus, e.g. modular arrangements means for handling parts of the apparatus in the apparatus for the fixing unit
Definitions
- the disclosure relates to an imaging apparatus, more particularly to an imaging apparatus having a fixing mechanism.
- Multifunction product (MFP)/Printer is a network-attached document production device that combines two or more of the copy, print, scan and fax functions.
- the printer contains a photosensitive assembly which is consisted of a photoconductive drum and a toner cartridge.
- the photoconductive drum is a photoconductor which can be charged to attract toner particles by way of electrostatic polarities, and then the toner particles can be fused or melted to the paper by a heating module. It is understood that the photosensitive assembly is consumable, thus the printer usually allows user to replace and install the photoconductive drum and the toner cartridge.
- One embodiment of the disclosure provides an imaging apparatus which is configured for accommodating at least one photosensitive assembly having at least one first assembly shaft.
- the imaging apparatus includes a casing, at least one fixing mechanism and a cover plate.
- the casing has at least one first guide groove, and the at least one first assembly shaft is configured to be slidably disposed in the at least one first guide groove.
- the at least one fixing mechanism is movably mounted on the casing so as to be movable between a blocking state and a releasing state.
- the cover plate is movably connected the casing so as to be movable between an opened position and a closed position.
- the cover plate When the cover plate is moved to the closed position, the cover plate forces the at least one fixing mechanism to move to the blocking state to block the at least one first guide groove and cover a bottom surface of the at least one first guide groove so as to retain the at least one first assembly shaft of the at least one photosensitive assembly between the at least one fixing mechanism and the bottom surface.
- the cover plate When the cover plate is moved to the opened position from the closed position, the movement of the cover plate allows the at least one fixing mechanism to move toward the releasing state from the blocking state so as to expose the at least one first guide groove of the casing.
- FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an imaging apparatus according to one embodiment of the present disclosure
- FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the imaging apparatus in FIG. 1 where a cover plate is opened to an opened position;
- FIG. 3 is an exploded view of the imaging apparatus in FIG. 2 ;
- FIG. 4 is a partial enlarged exploded view of the imaging apparatus in FIG. 2 ;
- FIG. 5 is a partial enlarged side view of the imaging apparatus in FIG. 2 ;
- FIGS. 6-7 are partial enlarged side views of the imaging apparatus in FIG. 1 showing the operation of the imaging apparatus.
- FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an imaging apparatus according to one embodiment of the present disclosure
- FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the imaging apparatus in FIG. 1 where a cover plate is opened to an opened position.
- This embodiment provides an imaging apparatus 1 .
- the imaging apparatus 1 is adapted to be installed into, for example, a printer or a multifunction product (MFP), and is able to accommodate one or more photosensitive assemblies 9 .
- MFP multifunction product
- the imaging apparatus 1 is able to accommodate two photosensitive assemblies 9 at the same time.
- the photosensitive assembly 9 used herein is an assembly that is consisted of a photoconductive drum, a toner cartridge and a supporting case etc. (all not numbered).
- these two photosensitive assemblies 9 are similar in configuration, and the only difference between them may be the color of the toner inside the toner cartridges.
- the present disclosure is not limited by the quantity of the photosensitive assemblies 9 that the imaging apparatus 1 can accommodate or the color of the toner stored in the toner cartridges.
- FIG. 3 is an exploded view of the imaging apparatus in FIG. 2
- FIG. 4 is a partial enlarged exploded view of the imaging apparatus in FIG. 2
- FIG. 5 is a partial enlarged side view of the imaging apparatus in FIG. 2 .
- the imaging apparatus 1 includes a casing 10 , two fixing mechanisms 20 and a cover plate 30 .
- the casing 10 includes a base plate 110 and two side plates 130 .
- the two side plates 130 are respectively mounted to two opposite sides of the base plate 110 so that the side plates 130 and the base plate 110 together form an accommodating space S 1 therebetween for accommodating the aforementioned photosensitive assemblies 9 .
- cover plate 30 Two opposite sides of the cover plate 30 are respectively pivotally coupled to the two side plates 130 of the casing 10 , therefore the cover plate 30 is pivotable between an opened position (as shown in FIG. 2 ) and a closed position (as shown in FIG. 1 ) about a first axis A 1 .
- the cover plate 30 is able to be pivoted to the opened position along a first direction D 1 , or is able to be pivoted to the closed position along a second direction D 2 which is opposite to the first direction D 1 .
- the cover plate 30 has a pair of hooks 310 which is located at a side of the cover plate 30 away from the first axis A 1 .
- the hooks 310 are configured to respectively engage with a pair of cover locks 135 that are respectively located on sides of the side plates 130 away from the first axis A 1 . Further, the user is able to move a movable component on the front edge of the cover plate 30 (as shown in FIG. 1 or 2 but not numbered) so as to move the hooks 310 .
- the so-called “closed position” means that the cover plate 30 is in a position that the hooks 310 respectively engage to the cover locks 135 on the side plates 130 .
- the so-called “opened position” means that the cover plate 30 is in a position that the hooks 310 are disengaged from the cover locks 135 .
- the cover plate 30 further has a pair of press blocks 320 which protrude from the cover plate 30 and is located between the first axis A 1 and the hooks 310 .
- FIG. 4 further describe the configuration of the side plate 130 .
- the two side plates 130 are similar and mirror to each other symmetrically, thus only one of the side plates 130 is described in detail in the following paragraphs.
- the side plate 130 has a first slide groove 131 , two first guide grooves 132 and two second guide grooves 133 on its inner surface.
- the first slide groove 131 is located close to a side of the side plate 130 away from the base plate 110 and substantially extends along a long side of the side plate 130 .
- the two first guide grooves 132 are connected to a side of the first slide groove 131 facing the base plate 110 and extend toward the base plate 110 .
- One of the second guide grooves 133 is located between the two first guide grooves 132 and extends toward the base plate 110 from the side of the first slide groove 131 facing the base plate 110 , and the other second guide groove 133 is located at an end of the first slide groove 131 close to the first axis A 1 and extends toward the base plate 110 . As shown in the figures, one of the first guide grooves 132 is located between the two second guide grooves 133 .
- the first guide grooves 132 and the second guide grooves 133 are divided into two groups, and each group is consisted of one first guide groove 132 and one second guide groove 133 .
- One of the groups is relatively close to the first axis A 1 , and the other is relatively away from the first axis A 1 .
- These two groups respectively correspond to the aforementioned photosensitive assemblies 9 .
- the side of the first slide groove 131 opposite to the first guide grooves 132 and the second guide grooves 133 is not covered; that is, the first guide grooves 132 and the second guide grooves 133 are exposed from the side of the side plate 130 away from the base plate 110 . Therefore, the first assembly shaft 91 and the second assembly shaft 92 of the photosensitive assembly 9 can be installed into the first guide groove 132 and the second guide groove 133 of one of the groups via the first slide groove 131 .
- each first guide groove 132 has a bottom surface 1321 and a guide surface 1322 which are connected to each other.
- the bottom surface 1321 is horizontal, and the guide surface 1322 is connected to a side of the bottom surface 1321 .
- the guide surface 1322 is configured to guide the first assembly shaft 91 of the photosensitive assembly 9 so that the first assembly shaft 91 can slide along the guide surface 1322 and therefore reaching the bottom surface 1321 , the detail of which will be well explained later.
- each second guide groove 133 has a straight portion 1331 and a curved portion 1332 which are connected to each other. From the view of FIG.
- the straight portion 1331 vertically extends downward from the first slide groove 131 , and the curved portion 1332 is connected to a side of the straight portion 1331 away from the top edge and extends in a direction away from the first guide groove 132 .
- the straight portion 1331 is able to guide the second assembly shaft 92 so that the second assembly shaft 92 can slide into the curved portion 1332 and therefore being stopped by a side of the curved portion 1332 away from the first guide groove 132 , the detail of which will be well explained later.
- FIGS. 2-5 further describe the configuration of the fixing mechanism 20 .
- the two fixing mechanisms 20 are similar and mirror to each other symmetrically, thus only one of the fixing mechanisms 20 is described in detail in the following paragraphs.
- each fixing mechanism 20 is movably respectively mounted to the side plates 130 so that each of them is able to be movable between a blocking state (as shown in FIG. 7 ) and a releasing state (as shown in FIG. 6 ).
- each fixing mechanism 20 includes a trigger 210 and a stopper 220 .
- the trigger 210 is pivotally mounted on a side of the first slide groove 131 close to the first axis A 1 about a second axis A 2 .
- the trigger 210 has an engage end 211 and a pushing end 212 opposite to each other, and the second axis A 2 is located between the engage end 211 and the pushing end 212 .
- the engage end 211 of the trigger 210 normally sticks out past the top edge of the side plate 130 and is configured to be pressed by one of the press blocks 320 of the cover plate 30 when the cover plate 30 is moved to the closed position (as shown in FIGS. 6-7 ).
- the stopper 220 is slidably disposed in the first slide groove 131 of the side plate 130 and slidable along, for example, a direction D 3 .
- the pushing end 212 of the trigger 210 constantly contacts a side of the stopper 220 facing the first axis A 1 .
- the stopper 220 has a contact inclined surface 221 located on a side of the stopper 220 facing the trigger 210 , and the contact inclined surface 221 is configured to contact the pushing end 212 of the trigger 210 .
- the pivot direction of the trigger 210 is, for example, orthogonal to the contact inclined surface 221 , which helps the pushing end 212 to push the stopper 220 to slide.
- the stopper 220 has two third guide grooves 222 .
- the two third guide grooves 222 can be respectively aligned with one of the second guide grooves 133 and one of the first guide grooves 132 or can be offset from the second guide grooves 133 and the first guide grooves 132 .
- the two third guide grooves 222 are respectively aligned with one of the second guide grooves 133 and one of the first guide grooves 132 (as shown in FIG.
- the first guide grooves 132 and the second guide grooves 133 are not being blocked but exposed from the trigger 210 , such that the first assembly shaft 91 and the second assembly shaft 92 of the photosensitive assembly 9 are able to be respectively disposed into the second guide groove 133 and the first guide groove 132 through the third guide grooves 222 of the stopper 220 .
- the imaging apparatus 1 further includes two return springs 40 .
- Each return spring 40 is, for example, an extension spring, and is connected between the side plate 130 and the stopper 220 . Therefore, the return spring 40 constantly applies force to pull the stopper 220 toward the trigger 210 so as to force the fixing mechanism 20 to move toward the releasing state. As such, constantly, the return spring 40 forces the stopper 220 to press against the pushing end 212 of the trigger 210 so as to force the engage end 211 of the trigger 210 to stick out past the top edge of the side plate 130 . On the other hand, when a certain force is applied to the engage end 211 of the trigger 210 to pivot the trigger 210 , the trigger 210 can push the stopper 220 so as to pull the return spring 40 to store energy in the return spring 40 .
- FIGS. 6-7 explain the operation of the imaging apparatus 1 .
- First is to place the photosensitive assemblies 9 into the casing 10 .
- the first assembly shaft 91 is disposed through the third guide groove 222 of the stopper 220 from the top edge of the side plate 130 and then is disposed into the first guide groove 132 and stopped at the bottom surface 1321
- the second assembly shaft 92 is disposed through the straight portion 1331 of the second guide groove 133 from the top edge and then is disposed into the curved portion 1332 and stopped at the side of the curved portion 1332 away from the first guide groove 132 .
- the first assembly shaft 91 and the second assembly shaft 92 of the photosensitive assembly 9 respectively press against the guide surface 1322 of the first guide groove 132 and the curved portion 1332 of the second guide groove 133 , thus the photosensitive assembly 9 is prevented from moving in a horizontal direction.
- the first assembly shaft 91 and the second assembly shaft 92 are respectively disposed into the other first guide groove 132 and the other second guide groove 133 from the top edge of the side plate 130 and thus the other photosensitive assembly 9 is also prevented from moving in the horizontal direction.
- these photosensitive assemblies 9 are arranged along the long side of the side plate 130 (e.g., the direction D 3 shown in FIG. 7 ).
- the cover plate 30 is pivoted to the closed position along the second direction D 2 , such that the hooks 310 on the cover plate 30 respectively hook the cover locks 135 , and the press blocks 320 on the cover plate 30 respectively push the engage ends 211 of the triggers 210 .
- the hook 310 and the cover lock 135 are in contact with each other with inclined surfaces and thus the cover lock 135 can force the hook 310 to pivot so that the hook 310 passes over the cover lock 135 and then hooks the cover lock 135 after the hook 310 returns to its original position.
- the press block 320 and the engage end 211 are also in contact with each other with inclined surfaces and thus the press block 320 is able to force the trigger 210 to pivot along the first direction D 1 which is opposite to the second direction
- the third guide grooves 222 of the stopper 220 are offset from the second guide groove 133 and the first guide groove 132 , such that the stopper 220 blocks the first guide grooves 132 and covers the bottom surfaces 1321 .
- the stopper 220 blocks at the top side of the first assembly shaft 91 of the photosensitive assembly 9 so as to retain the position of the first assembly shaft 91 between the fixing mechanism 20 and the bottom surface 1321 , thereby preventing the photosensitive assembly 9 from moving vertically.
- the photosensitive assembly 9 is restricted in all directions when the cover plate 30 is closed (i.e., when the cover plate 30 is in the closed position).
- the photosensitive assembly 9 can be released by pivoting the cover plate 30 to the opened position along, for example, the first direction D 1 .
- the press block 320 on the cover plate 30 is separated from the trigger 210 , therefore the energy stored in the return spring 40 is released to force the stopper 220 to slide toward the trigger 210 so as to force the trigger 210 to pivot along, for example, the second direction D 2 .
- the engage end 211 of the stopper 220 is forced to stick out past the top edge of the side plate 130 , and the third guide grooves 222 of the stopper 220 are respectively aligned with one of the second guide grooves 133 and one of the first guide grooves 132 , thereby exposing the second guide groove 133 and the first guide groove 132 from the top edge of the side plate 130 .
- the so phrase “exposing the second guide groove 133 and the first guide groove 132 from the top edge of the side plate 130 ” means that the second guide grooves 133 and the first guide groove 132 can be seen through the top edge of the side plate 130 .
- the stopper 220 of the fixing mechanism 20 does not block the first assembly shaft 91 of the photosensitive assembly 9 therefore the photosensitive assembly 9 can be removed from the side plates 130 .
- the fixing mechanism 20 can fix the photosensitive assemblies 9 in the desired positions or can release the photosensitive assemblies 9 .
- the installation process of the photosensitive assembly 9 is simple and convenient. In comparison with the conventional imaging apparatus that the installation of the photosensitive assembly requires user to additionally screw the photosensitive assembly, the imaging apparatus 1 is much convenient in installing the photosensitive assembly, and there is no need to worry about forgetting to screw the photosensitive assembly and thus eliminating the potential of human error.
- the quantity of the photosensitive assemblies 9 that the imaging apparatus 1 can accommodate is plural, and these photosensitive assemblies 9 are arranged along a direction parallel to the long side of the side plate 130 or the direction D 3 and can be fixed in position by the stopper 220 , achieving a configuration that a single movement of the cover plate can simultaneously fix or release multiple photosensitive assemblies.
- the stopper 220 is slidable in a horizontal direction, the vertical distance between the stopper 220 and the photosensitive assemblies 9 is fixed during the movement of the stopper 220 . That is, the stopper 220 provides the same restriction to each photosensitive assembly 9 .
- the imaging apparatus 1 includes two fixing mechanisms 20 and two return springs 40 and other components in a pair, but the present disclosure is not limited thereto.
- the imaging apparatus may only include one fixing mechanism and one return spring that are disposed on one of the side plate.
- each side plate may only include one group of the first guide groove and the second guide groove, and the stopper may only include one third guide groove, thus, in such a case, the imaging apparatus may only able to accommodate one photosensitive assembly.
- the fixing mechanism can fix one or more photosensitive assemblies in position or release them by pivoting the over plate, which is simple in operation and convenient to user. Therefore, there is no need to worry about forgetting to screw the photosensitive assembly therefore eliminating the potential of human error.
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Abstract
Description
- This non-provisional application claims priority under 35 U.S.C. § 119(a) on Patent Application No(s). 107122687 filed in R.O.C. Taiwan on Jun. 29, 2018, the entire contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference.
- The disclosure relates to an imaging apparatus, more particularly to an imaging apparatus having a fixing mechanism.
- Multifunction product (MFP)/Printer is a network-attached document production device that combines two or more of the copy, print, scan and fax functions. Generally, the printer contains a photosensitive assembly which is consisted of a photoconductive drum and a toner cartridge. The photoconductive drum is a photoconductor which can be charged to attract toner particles by way of electrostatic polarities, and then the toner particles can be fused or melted to the paper by a heating module. It is understood that the photosensitive assembly is consumable, thus the printer usually allows user to replace and install the photoconductive drum and the toner cartridge.
- One embodiment of the disclosure provides an imaging apparatus which is configured for accommodating at least one photosensitive assembly having at least one first assembly shaft. The imaging apparatus includes a casing, at least one fixing mechanism and a cover plate. The casing has at least one first guide groove, and the at least one first assembly shaft is configured to be slidably disposed in the at least one first guide groove. The at least one fixing mechanism is movably mounted on the casing so as to be movable between a blocking state and a releasing state. The cover plate is movably connected the casing so as to be movable between an opened position and a closed position. When the cover plate is moved to the closed position, the cover plate forces the at least one fixing mechanism to move to the blocking state to block the at least one first guide groove and cover a bottom surface of the at least one first guide groove so as to retain the at least one first assembly shaft of the at least one photosensitive assembly between the at least one fixing mechanism and the bottom surface. When the cover plate is moved to the opened position from the closed position, the movement of the cover plate allows the at least one fixing mechanism to move toward the releasing state from the blocking state so as to expose the at least one first guide groove of the casing.
- The present disclosure will become better understood from the detailed description given hereinbelow and the accompanying drawings which are given by way of illustration only and thus are not intending to limit the present disclosure and wherein:
-
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an imaging apparatus according to one embodiment of the present disclosure; -
FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the imaging apparatus inFIG. 1 where a cover plate is opened to an opened position; -
FIG. 3 is an exploded view of the imaging apparatus inFIG. 2 ; -
FIG. 4 is a partial enlarged exploded view of the imaging apparatus inFIG. 2 ; -
FIG. 5 is a partial enlarged side view of the imaging apparatus inFIG. 2 ; and -
FIGS. 6-7 are partial enlarged side views of the imaging apparatus inFIG. 1 showing the operation of the imaging apparatus. - In the following detailed description, for purposes of explanation, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the disclosed embodiments. It will be apparent, however, that one or more embodiments may be practiced without these specific details. In other instances, well-known main structures and devices are schematically shown in order to simplify the drawing.
- In addition, the terms used in the present disclosure, such as technical and scientific terms, have its own meanings and can be comprehended by those skilled in the art, unless the terms are additionally defined in the present disclosure. That is, the terms used in the following paragraphs should be read on the meaning commonly used in the related fields and will not be overly explained, unless the terms have a specific meaning in the present disclosure. Furthermore, in order to simplify the drawings, some conventional structures and components are drawn in a simplified manner to keep the drawings clean.
- Firstly, please refer to
FIGS. 1-2 ,FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an imaging apparatus according to one embodiment of the present disclosure, andFIG. 2 is a perspective view of the imaging apparatus inFIG. 1 where a cover plate is opened to an opened position. This embodiment provides animaging apparatus 1. Theimaging apparatus 1 is adapted to be installed into, for example, a printer or a multifunction product (MFP), and is able to accommodate one or morephotosensitive assemblies 9. As shown inFIG. 2 , theimaging apparatus 1 is able to accommodate twophotosensitive assemblies 9 at the same time. Thephotosensitive assembly 9 used herein is an assembly that is consisted of a photoconductive drum, a toner cartridge and a supporting case etc. (all not numbered). In addition, these twophotosensitive assemblies 9 are similar in configuration, and the only difference between them may be the color of the toner inside the toner cartridges. However, the present disclosure is not limited by the quantity of thephotosensitive assemblies 9 that theimaging apparatus 1 can accommodate or the color of the toner stored in the toner cartridges. - Then, please further refer to
FIGS. 3-5 ,FIG. 3 is an exploded view of the imaging apparatus inFIG. 2 ,FIG. 4 is a partial enlarged exploded view of the imaging apparatus inFIG. 2 , andFIG. 5 is a partial enlarged side view of the imaging apparatus inFIG. 2 . In this embodiment, theimaging apparatus 1 includes acasing 10, twofixing mechanisms 20 and acover plate 30. - The
casing 10 includes abase plate 110 and twoside plates 130. The twoside plates 130 are respectively mounted to two opposite sides of thebase plate 110 so that theside plates 130 and thebase plate 110 together form an accommodating space S1 therebetween for accommodating the aforementionedphotosensitive assemblies 9. - Two opposite sides of the
cover plate 30 are respectively pivotally coupled to the twoside plates 130 of thecasing 10, therefore thecover plate 30 is pivotable between an opened position (as shown inFIG. 2 ) and a closed position (as shown inFIG. 1 ) about a first axis A1. As shown in the figures, thecover plate 30 is able to be pivoted to the opened position along a first direction D1, or is able to be pivoted to the closed position along a second direction D2 which is opposite to the first direction D1. Additionally, thecover plate 30 has a pair ofhooks 310 which is located at a side of thecover plate 30 away from the first axis A1. Thehooks 310 are configured to respectively engage with a pair ofcover locks 135 that are respectively located on sides of theside plates 130 away from the first axis A1. Further, the user is able to move a movable component on the front edge of the cover plate 30 (as shown inFIG. 1 or 2 but not numbered) so as to move thehooks 310. The so-called “closed position” means that thecover plate 30 is in a position that thehooks 310 respectively engage to thecover locks 135 on theside plates 130. The so-called “opened position” means that thecover plate 30 is in a position that thehooks 310 are disengaged from thecover locks 135. Moreover, thecover plate 30 further has a pair ofpress blocks 320 which protrude from thecover plate 30 and is located between the first axis A1 and thehooks 310. - Then, please see
FIG. 4 to further describe the configuration of theside plate 130. It is noted that the twoside plates 130 are similar and mirror to each other symmetrically, thus only one of theside plates 130 is described in detail in the following paragraphs. - In this embodiment, the
side plate 130 has afirst slide groove 131, twofirst guide grooves 132 and twosecond guide grooves 133 on its inner surface. Thefirst slide groove 131 is located close to a side of theside plate 130 away from thebase plate 110 and substantially extends along a long side of theside plate 130. The twofirst guide grooves 132 are connected to a side of thefirst slide groove 131 facing thebase plate 110 and extend toward thebase plate 110. One of thesecond guide grooves 133 is located between the twofirst guide grooves 132 and extends toward thebase plate 110 from the side of thefirst slide groove 131 facing thebase plate 110, and the othersecond guide groove 133 is located at an end of thefirst slide groove 131 close to the first axis A1 and extends toward thebase plate 110. As shown in the figures, one of thefirst guide grooves 132 is located between the twosecond guide grooves 133. - In this embodiment, the
first guide grooves 132 and thesecond guide grooves 133 are divided into two groups, and each group is consisted of onefirst guide groove 132 and onesecond guide groove 133. One of the groups is relatively close to the first axis A1, and the other is relatively away from the first axis A1. These two groups respectively correspond to the aforementionedphotosensitive assemblies 9. Furthermore, as shown inFIG. 4 , the side of thefirst slide groove 131 opposite to thefirst guide grooves 132 and thesecond guide grooves 133 is not covered; that is, thefirst guide grooves 132 and thesecond guide grooves 133 are exposed from the side of theside plate 130 away from thebase plate 110. Therefore, thefirst assembly shaft 91 and thesecond assembly shaft 92 of thephotosensitive assembly 9 can be installed into thefirst guide groove 132 and thesecond guide groove 133 of one of the groups via thefirst slide groove 131. - Then, as shown in
FIG. 5 , eachfirst guide groove 132 has abottom surface 1321 and aguide surface 1322 which are connected to each other. From the view ofFIG. 5 , thebottom surface 1321 is horizontal, and theguide surface 1322 is connected to a side of thebottom surface 1321. Theguide surface 1322 is configured to guide thefirst assembly shaft 91 of thephotosensitive assembly 9 so that thefirst assembly shaft 91 can slide along theguide surface 1322 and therefore reaching thebottom surface 1321, the detail of which will be well explained later. In addition, eachsecond guide groove 133 has astraight portion 1331 and acurved portion 1332 which are connected to each other. From the view ofFIG. 5 , thestraight portion 1331 vertically extends downward from thefirst slide groove 131, and thecurved portion 1332 is connected to a side of thestraight portion 1331 away from the top edge and extends in a direction away from thefirst guide groove 132. When thesecond assembly shaft 92 of thephotosensitive assembly 9 is installed into thesecond guide groove 133, thestraight portion 1331 is able to guide thesecond assembly shaft 92 so that thesecond assembly shaft 92 can slide into thecurved portion 1332 and therefore being stopped by a side of thecurved portion 1332 away from thefirst guide groove 132, the detail of which will be well explained later. - Then, please refer to
FIGS. 2-5 to further describe the configuration of thefixing mechanism 20. It is noted that the two fixingmechanisms 20 are similar and mirror to each other symmetrically, thus only one of the fixingmechanisms 20 is described in detail in the following paragraphs. - The fixing
mechanisms 20 are movably respectively mounted to theside plates 130 so that each of them is able to be movable between a blocking state (as shown inFIG. 7 ) and a releasing state (as shown inFIG. 6 ). In this embodiment, each fixingmechanism 20 includes atrigger 210 and astopper 220. - In each fixing
mechanism 20, thetrigger 210 is pivotally mounted on a side of thefirst slide groove 131 close to the first axis A1 about a second axis A2. Thetrigger 210 has an engageend 211 and a pushingend 212 opposite to each other, and the second axis A2 is located between the engageend 211 and the pushingend 212. The engageend 211 of thetrigger 210 normally sticks out past the top edge of theside plate 130 and is configured to be pressed by one of the press blocks 320 of thecover plate 30 when thecover plate 30 is moved to the closed position (as shown inFIGS. 6-7 ). - The
stopper 220 is slidably disposed in thefirst slide groove 131 of theside plate 130 and slidable along, for example, a direction D3. The pushingend 212 of thetrigger 210 constantly contacts a side of thestopper 220 facing the first axis A1. In more detail, thestopper 220 has a contactinclined surface 221 located on a side of thestopper 220 facing thetrigger 210, and the contact inclinedsurface 221 is configured to contact the pushingend 212 of thetrigger 210. While the fixingmechanism 20 is moved from the releasing state (FIG. 5 ), the pivot direction of thetrigger 210 is, for example, orthogonal to the contact inclinedsurface 221, which helps the pushingend 212 to push thestopper 220 to slide. In addition, thestopper 220 has twothird guide grooves 222. According to the movement of thestopper 220, the twothird guide grooves 222 can be respectively aligned with one of thesecond guide grooves 133 and one of thefirst guide grooves 132 or can be offset from thesecond guide grooves 133 and thefirst guide grooves 132. When the twothird guide grooves 222 are respectively aligned with one of thesecond guide grooves 133 and one of the first guide grooves 132 (as shown inFIG. 5 ), thefirst guide grooves 132 and thesecond guide grooves 133 are not being blocked but exposed from thetrigger 210, such that thefirst assembly shaft 91 and thesecond assembly shaft 92 of thephotosensitive assembly 9 are able to be respectively disposed into thesecond guide groove 133 and thefirst guide groove 132 through thethird guide grooves 222 of thestopper 220. - In this embodiment, the
imaging apparatus 1 further includes two return springs 40. Eachreturn spring 40 is, for example, an extension spring, and is connected between theside plate 130 and thestopper 220. Therefore, thereturn spring 40 constantly applies force to pull thestopper 220 toward thetrigger 210 so as to force the fixingmechanism 20 to move toward the releasing state. As such, constantly, thereturn spring 40 forces thestopper 220 to press against the pushingend 212 of thetrigger 210 so as to force the engageend 211 of thetrigger 210 to stick out past the top edge of theside plate 130. On the other hand, when a certain force is applied to the engageend 211 of thetrigger 210 to pivot thetrigger 210, thetrigger 210 can push thestopper 220 so as to pull thereturn spring 40 to store energy in thereturn spring 40. - Then, please further refer to
FIGS. 6-7 to explain the operation of theimaging apparatus 1. - First is to place the
photosensitive assemblies 9 into thecasing 10. In detail, to thephotosensitive assembly 9 which is located relatively away from thecover lock 135, thefirst assembly shaft 91 is disposed through thethird guide groove 222 of thestopper 220 from the top edge of theside plate 130 and then is disposed into thefirst guide groove 132 and stopped at thebottom surface 1321, and thesecond assembly shaft 92 is disposed through thestraight portion 1331 of thesecond guide groove 133 from the top edge and then is disposed into thecurved portion 1332 and stopped at the side of thecurved portion 1332 away from thefirst guide groove 132. At this moment, thefirst assembly shaft 91 and thesecond assembly shaft 92 of thephotosensitive assembly 9 respectively press against theguide surface 1322 of thefirst guide groove 132 and thecurved portion 1332 of thesecond guide groove 133, thus thephotosensitive assembly 9 is prevented from moving in a horizontal direction. Similarly, to the otherphotosensitive assembly 9, thefirst assembly shaft 91 and thesecond assembly shaft 92 are respectively disposed into the otherfirst guide groove 132 and the othersecond guide groove 133 from the top edge of theside plate 130 and thus the otherphotosensitive assembly 9 is also prevented from moving in the horizontal direction. As shown in the figure, thesephotosensitive assemblies 9 are arranged along the long side of the side plate 130 (e.g., the direction D3 shown inFIG. 7 ). - Then, the
cover plate 30 is pivoted to the closed position along the second direction D2, such that thehooks 310 on thecover plate 30 respectively hook the cover locks 135, and the press blocks 320 on thecover plate 30 respectively push the engage ends 211 of thetriggers 210. - In more detail, during the movement of the
cover plate 30 shown inFIGS. 6-7 , thehook 310 and thecover lock 135 are in contact with each other with inclined surfaces and thus thecover lock 135 can force thehook 310 to pivot so that thehook 310 passes over thecover lock 135 and then hooks thecover lock 135 after thehook 310 returns to its original position. On the other hand, thepress block 320 and the engageend 211 are also in contact with each other with inclined surfaces and thus thepress block 320 is able to force thetrigger 210 to pivot along the first direction D1 which is opposite to the second direction - D2 so as to force the pushing
end 212 of thetrigger 210 to push thestopper 220 along the direction D3 via the contact inclinedsurface 221. Consequently, thethird guide grooves 222 of thestopper 220 are offset from thesecond guide groove 133 and thefirst guide groove 132, such that thestopper 220 blocks thefirst guide grooves 132 and covers the bottom surfaces 1321. At this moment, thestopper 220 blocks at the top side of thefirst assembly shaft 91 of thephotosensitive assembly 9 so as to retain the position of thefirst assembly shaft 91 between the fixingmechanism 20 and thebottom surface 1321, thereby preventing thephotosensitive assembly 9 from moving vertically. As such, thephotosensitive assembly 9 is restricted in all directions when thecover plate 30 is closed (i.e., when thecover plate 30 is in the closed position). - On the contrary, the
photosensitive assembly 9 can be released by pivoting thecover plate 30 to the opened position along, for example, the first direction D1. During the movement of opening thecover plate 30, thepress block 320 on thecover plate 30 is separated from thetrigger 210, therefore the energy stored in thereturn spring 40 is released to force thestopper 220 to slide toward thetrigger 210 so as to force thetrigger 210 to pivot along, for example, the second direction D2. Consequently, the engageend 211 of thestopper 220 is forced to stick out past the top edge of theside plate 130, and thethird guide grooves 222 of thestopper 220 are respectively aligned with one of thesecond guide grooves 133 and one of thefirst guide grooves 132, thereby exposing thesecond guide groove 133 and thefirst guide groove 132 from the top edge of theside plate 130. The so phrase “exposing thesecond guide groove 133 and thefirst guide groove 132 from the top edge of theside plate 130” means that thesecond guide grooves 133 and thefirst guide groove 132 can be seen through the top edge of theside plate 130. As such, thestopper 220 of thefixing mechanism 20 does not block thefirst assembly shaft 91 of thephotosensitive assembly 9 therefore thephotosensitive assembly 9 can be removed from theside plates 130. - Accordingly, by pivoting the
cover plate 30, the fixingmechanism 20 can fix thephotosensitive assemblies 9 in the desired positions or can release thephotosensitive assemblies 9. The installation process of thephotosensitive assembly 9 is simple and convenient. In comparison with the conventional imaging apparatus that the installation of the photosensitive assembly requires user to additionally screw the photosensitive assembly, theimaging apparatus 1 is much convenient in installing the photosensitive assembly, and there is no need to worry about forgetting to screw the photosensitive assembly and thus eliminating the potential of human error. - In the previous embodiments, the quantity of the
photosensitive assemblies 9 that theimaging apparatus 1 can accommodate is plural, and thesephotosensitive assemblies 9 are arranged along a direction parallel to the long side of theside plate 130 or the direction D3 and can be fixed in position by thestopper 220, achieving a configuration that a single movement of the cover plate can simultaneously fix or release multiple photosensitive assemblies. - Furthermore, since the
stopper 220 is slidable in a horizontal direction, the vertical distance between thestopper 220 and thephotosensitive assemblies 9 is fixed during the movement of thestopper 220. That is, thestopper 220 provides the same restriction to eachphotosensitive assembly 9. - Lastly, in the above embodiment, the
imaging apparatus 1 includes two fixingmechanisms 20 and two return springs 40 and other components in a pair, but the present disclosure is not limited thereto. For example, in some other embodiments, the imaging apparatus may only include one fixing mechanism and one return spring that are disposed on one of the side plate. In another embodiment, each side plate may only include one group of the first guide groove and the second guide groove, and the stopper may only include one third guide groove, thus, in such a case, the imaging apparatus may only able to accommodate one photosensitive assembly. - According to the imaging apparatus as discussed in above, the fixing mechanism can fix one or more photosensitive assemblies in position or release them by pivoting the over plate, which is simple in operation and convenient to user. Therefore, there is no need to worry about forgetting to screw the photosensitive assembly therefore eliminating the potential of human error.
- It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and variations can be made to the present disclosure. It is intended that the specification and examples be considered as exemplary embodiments only, with a scope of the disclosure being indicated by the following claims and their equivalents.
Claims (10)
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TW107122687 | 2018-06-29 | ||
TW107122687A TWI681266B (en) | 2018-06-29 | 2018-06-29 | Imaging apparatus |
TW107122687A | 2018-06-29 |
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US20200004196A1 true US20200004196A1 (en) | 2020-01-02 |
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US16/396,532 Active US10719048B2 (en) | 2018-06-29 | 2019-04-26 | Image forming apparatus |
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Citations (3)
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US7778567B2 (en) * | 2004-09-29 | 2010-08-17 | Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha | Image forming apparatus and image forming unit |
US8068767B2 (en) * | 2007-12-28 | 2011-11-29 | Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha | Image forming apparatus and process cartridge |
US9170560B2 (en) * | 2012-09-21 | 2015-10-27 | Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha | Image forming apparatus |
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US6729714B2 (en) * | 2001-07-31 | 2004-05-04 | Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. | Separable key for establishing detachable printer component compatibility with a printer |
TWI291411B (en) * | 2005-10-03 | 2007-12-21 | Microjet Technology Co Ltd | Inkjet cartridge structure frame structure of inkjet cartridge carrier |
TWI280196B (en) * | 2005-10-21 | 2007-05-01 | Lite On Technology Corp | Ink cartridge loading mechanism |
KR101398932B1 (en) * | 2007-04-16 | 2014-05-26 | 삼성전자주식회사 | Image formimg apparatus |
KR101379857B1 (en) * | 2011-07-27 | 2014-04-01 | 가부시키가이샤 리코 | Developer container, developing device, process unit, and image forming apparatus |
JP6330657B2 (en) * | 2014-12-26 | 2018-05-30 | ブラザー工業株式会社 | Image forming apparatus |
TWI600551B (en) * | 2015-11-04 | 2017-10-01 | 虹光精密工業股份有限公司 | Imaging apparatus |
JP6511164B2 (en) * | 2016-02-04 | 2019-05-15 | 株式会社Pfu | Image reading apparatus and image reading method |
US9851654B2 (en) * | 2016-05-02 | 2017-12-26 | Lexmark International, Inc. | Automated lens cleaning and shutter system for an electrophotographic imaging device |
TWM538176U (en) * | 2016-11-02 | 2017-03-11 | Avision Inc | Separated type imaging device |
TWI681266B (en) * | 2018-06-29 | 2020-01-01 | 虹光精密工業股份有限公司 | Imaging apparatus |
-
2018
- 2018-06-29 TW TW107122687A patent/TWI681266B/en active
- 2018-09-25 CN CN201811119827.9A patent/CN109397899B/en active Active
- 2018-09-25 CN CN201821560957.1U patent/CN209096286U/en not_active Withdrawn - After Issue
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Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US7778567B2 (en) * | 2004-09-29 | 2010-08-17 | Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha | Image forming apparatus and image forming unit |
US8068767B2 (en) * | 2007-12-28 | 2011-11-29 | Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha | Image forming apparatus and process cartridge |
US9170560B2 (en) * | 2012-09-21 | 2015-10-27 | Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha | Image forming apparatus |
Also Published As
Publication number | Publication date |
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TWI681266B (en) | 2020-01-01 |
CN109397899B (en) | 2020-06-12 |
CN209096286U (en) | 2019-07-12 |
CN109397899A (en) | 2019-03-01 |
TW202001451A (en) | 2020-01-01 |
US10719048B2 (en) | 2020-07-21 |
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